Battery-holder.



G. N WATERBURY, J11, BATTERY HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED 3111.14, 1910. 989,738, Patented Apr. 18, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

G. N. WATERBURY,.JB. BATTERY HOLDER.- APPLICATION FILED JAN.14. 1910.

989,738. PatentedApr.18,1911.

. SHEETS-SHEET 2. 1A 4w? 4 4 7 4 4 54% w \l l/k/ b G. N. WATERBURY, J11

v BATTERY HOLDER.

APPLIOATION FILED 1111.14. 1910.

Patented 11 11518, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

, To all whom it may concern."

residing at Washington, in the District ofi Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 'in Battery-,Holdersy V enemas; nnwcoirn warnnrunr, .13., or wnsriineron, nrs'rnrcr or COLUMBIA.

Bursar-Bowen.

scares.

fipeeification of Letters Ifatenn Patented Apr. 18, 1911.

Application filed January 14, 1910'. Serial No. 538,089.

Be it known that I, GEORGE N. VATER- BURY, J r., a citizen of the United States,

and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a cage or holde for dry cell electric batteries,.and has for its object to provide a holder which is particul'arly designed for automobile or motor boat use, although as will be clearly evident the same can be advantageously employed in any capacity requiring the use of a series of electric dry cells. I

,A further object of my invention is'to provide a cage for the reception of a series of electric dry cells which can be conven-' iently placed in abox, case or other recap 1 tacle during service or for transportation.

A further object of my invention is to provide a battery cage wherein the cells can be connectedin serieswithout the use'of' wire on the binding posts of the cells.

A further object of my invention-is to provide a battery cage which will accommo date any electric dry cell of-standard size, and 'wlilch does not require any special form' of dry cell.

A further object of my invention is to provide a battery cage in which the battery connectors are so constructed and. arranged that they will conform to an style of binding posts now employed on e ectric dry cells.

A further object of my invention is to provide a battery cage in which the cells canbe instantly inserted and connected or dis-.

connected and removed without the use of I tools implements or appliances and without connecting or disconnecting any wires or handling the binding posts on-the cells. A further object of my invention is to pro' vide a battery cage wl. ch can he quickly and easily inspectedw'hile the cells are in service 1n such manner that any disconnection or break in the circuit can be readily ascer-' tained.

With these objects in view my invention consists in the novel construction of the 33 of Fig. .2, the sprin battery cage; andmy invention also consists in the novel construction of the spring batteryconnectors.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, -Figure 1 is a perspective view of ,the battery box orholder within which the battery cage is placed. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the battery cage within the box or holder. Fig. is a lon 'tudinal sectional view through the Z box or ho der and battery cage taken on line connectors being shown in pers ction. tive view of t e battery cage. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view through the box or holder' and battery cage' taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view of one holder of the battery cage showing battery cell and spring connector, and Fig. 7 is an elevation of the -same showing spring connector in transverse section} -Li ke numerals of reference indicate the same parts throughout theseveral figures in'which:

1 indicates the box or holder which may be of any vided with a carrying stra 2.

-3 and 4 indicate the blnding posts ar ranged in one end of the box or holder 1.

5 indicates the battery cage which comprises the base 6 and the top 7, said base and top being connected together-as shown in Fig. 4 by means of the uprights 8min such manner as to form a light but strong and rigid structure. As will appear from the drawings the to with a series of circular openings 9, and in each opening is placed a cylindrical cell holder 10, said holders being constructed of metal of good electrical conductivity.

Arranged in the top of each of the cell holders 10 is a series of spring fingers 11, the outer ends of said fingers being bent outwardly as shown to allow the same to readily receive a battery call. At the bottom of each cell holder 10, as will appear from Fig. 5, a metallic strap 12 is provided said strap being connected to the sides of the cell holder and having its central portion slightly raised as shown in order to form a support for the battery cell.

means of bolts 14 passingthrough thetop 7 1g. 4 1s a perspec-- convenient size, and preferably pro- 3 said connectors are secured in position by and held firmly in position by means of the 7 of the cage 5 is provided 13 indicates the spring connectors which i 20 tery cellsihaving the-central positive bind inggpost'extending vertically from'the cen-a ter'bf the cell; while in Figs. 6and 7 I have, illustratedythe other type of cell in which nuts 15. This constrnctionallows each cf ofthespring connector13' ivhich liesbea the sprin connectors 13 to be swungj into position s own in dotted llnesin, Figlfifin order to provide for a ready insertion o'r re,-

moval of the cellsfrom the cell holders." As will appear from Fig.- G'and also from e each of the springeconne'ctors 13' is provi slot17,' while a recess "1810i substantiallythe sanielengthas the slot 17 is provided one;' edge of the substantially fiat'portion '16- of f b'ythejconnectorm;"By-reason.ofthiscom 115' struction the "tendency? for accidental did-i 80 with a substantially flat portion 16 near the v outer or free end of the connector, and dis-.

posed in said'flat. porti n 16is a-longitudinal each spring connector.

19 indicates the dry In Figs, 2; 3 and 51 have illustratedlthe batthe carbon :extends vertically through the top of 'thecll and the" positive binding post extends horizontally from the-,said carbon.

V "As both; forms, pfcells 'are nowin j-univers'al use I have-constructed the spr ng'connectors.

in -such manner that they will accommo- .dateithc insclv'es ,equ'ally as well to one form of 1 In' FlgS. 2,"3;"&I1d"5 in which the te11S -are shownhaving the positive binding 'post ar-' rapge'd L-verticall'y' f'itj-will be seen that. after thQ'ceH'sflrBiII position withinthe cell hold ers .IO-thefspringcpnnectors13 are swung on pIacing,.-the same in gage the central or peaitivebinding posts by s ch position that'the said central'po'sts extendthrough the longi- "tudinalslots 17 in the springconneetors'13-H As the position-of these binding posts are yn'dt' iiniform. in a y dry cell batteries; and in manyinst'ances are found to be eccentric,- I"

have arrangedthezslots 17- of considerable '1eng th-,in such mannerjasfto cbnform toany irregularity in .theposition of the :saidcen- "tral binding posts. As. the tension'cf the which-each'binding post 20 extends; conse- 7 v quentl'ya good tight electrical connection iseffected between each'binding. post 20 and its spr ng" connector 13.

;Wh 'enthe cell employed is' of the type shown Figs. 6 and 7- each spring con-Q necto'r13 i's swung on'its' pivot into position shownini-Figtfi, and a thin strip of metal 22 battery. cells," andas thefbinding posts of the standard a dry bat- ,ter'y fc'ells fare of two distinct" styles-l; have illustrated the application of the spring'connectors "13 to both styles of bindmgpo'sts tweemthe longitudinalsiot 17 and-the recess 1-18 enters thef-annular groove 23 in "the "knurled" nut 24; of the binding 'post- 25;

" When; the spring connector -13;1ies inthis ,po- -7 o sition the base 26 of thejknnrle dnut 24 and T tlie'small-1ock ni1t27 of the hindingposti en ters the recess; 18 inl-the 'spring connector -13 so: that the inner edge 28 on each'side of the.

: recess-18 rests snugly againstthe'side'of-the 1 carbon .29; in' su'chmanner; thatjjall: tendency i of the cell to jrotalte is, entirely eliminated and the cell'is heldv-firmlynlinipjljop'er position placement of -thej spring connector is almost entirely eliminated. Were it not, however, for the recessed form "of thespring 0on ,nector. 13 the cell iwoul'd'havea 'tendencyl'to I p p I' cel'l holder *lOflth; usual-p-aper-Tcoversia're re-w bindin postas" to the-other as-will be now moye'd from the cellsandflthe 'upper portions '{ofthe"-Zinc. e1iteri01 as Well -as the "bottoms I of the ellsiare-rubhed slightly with an abrasiveinaterial's'iich as sandpape'r'or the like lfor the purpose-of removing theiisiial-"thin' coating which; isiiIiiverSaHy' applied to the.

v zi'nc exterior ofiall dry' cells. :When'this' their pivots nto. the position asshown; and the spring connectors 131 are caused to encoating has been: removed from the {upper v portion and jfromithe. bottom of .the"ce1ls" they 'are inse 1,tedin'the I netalli c cell'holders -10sand are engaged by the spring-fingens 11' iiithe tops of each fmetallic cell holder 10' ,as these-spring fingers 511 .arecminected to 7 the cell holders 10 in any approved .rnanner, as for instance by riveting-or soldering a tight -ele'ctrical. connection is effected} between the zinc 'exteriorYof-each cellta'nd the' rnetallic cell holder 10. Ino'rder; however, to further provide fora good electricalcon- -'nection between the zinc exterior of the cells and the metallic cell holders 10 theinetallic, strap 12 is-provided at the bot-toinfof'each- [cell holder upon which the cells rest and as the tendency of the spring'fconne'c'tors- 13 is trical connectionis efiected between the bottom-of each cell and its-metallic cell holder through the'medium ofthe metallic strap 1 12. With'this constructionof wiring the are eliminated as the connection is madedi. rectly with the zinc exterior-of the'cell ;'-con-" seqnently' as the zinc exterior Of each cell is:

rotate'and thus-work:the.Iconnectorfontof' I to force the cells downward-1y a-good'elec-.;

' connectors fonthe negative binding posts=31 connected tooth'e" positivehinding post of the 3.

next cell by means of the connectors 30 and the spring connectors 13 the batteries are connected in series.

From the metallic cell holders 10 I arrange a wire connector 32 which is connected battery box or holder.

to the negative binding post 4 of the battery box or holder 1, and from the spring connectors 13,1 provide a wire connector 33 which passes to the positive binding post 3 of the It is of course evident from the foregoing description takenin connection with the accompanying drawings that the cells may or may not be connected in series-multiple;

and it is also clearly evident that the cage may be made to accommodate any desired number. These points are entirely immaterial and I of course lay no claim to the same, but

What I do claim, however, as my'invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is I 4 1. The combination of a 'cell holderfor a dry cell electric battery and an electrical spring contact disposed adjacent thereto for contact with a terminal of a dry cell, means for effecting an electrical connection between the cell holder and a cell contained therein, said electrical contact being pivoted I at one end in such manner as to swing horizontally over the cell holder and to have a spring tendency in a horizontal direction and a spring tendency in a vertical direction.

2. The combination of a cell holder for a drycell electric battery and an electrical spring contact disposed adjacent thereto for effect ng an electrical contact with the posi-' tive terminal of a dry cell, electric battery, means on said spring contact for engaging 40 either a vertical positive terminal or a hori' zontal positive terminal of an electric dry cell.

3. A cage or holder for dry cell electric batteries comprising a plurality of cell holders of electrical conducting material, and a suitable structure for supporting the same in proper relative position, a suitable electrical contact in each cell holder for electrical contact with the zinc of 'each dry cell, a

spring contact pivoted on the supporting structure adjacent each cell holder for contact with thecarbon of each dry cell, an electrical connection between each cell holder and an adjacent spring contact on the supporting structure, -the free cell-engaging end of each spring contact on the supporting structure being provided with a longitudinal slot for engagement With a vertical or'horizontal terminal of a dr cell, and provided with a recessin one e ge to prevent rotation of a cell provided with a horizontal terminal.

4. 'The combination of a cell holder for a dry cell electric battery and an electrical spring contact pivoted adjacent the cell holder, means for effecting an electrical connection between the cell holder and the negative pole of a dry cell electric.-battery,'said pivoted spring contact being provided at its free or contact end with a longitudinal slot for engagement with a vertical positive terminal of a dry cell, or for engagement with a horizontal positive terminal of a dry cell, the said endof said spring contact being provided with means for preventing the rotation of a dry cell provided with a horiv zontal positive terminal.

5. The combination of a cell holder for a dry cell electric battery and an' electrical STEPHEN WHITEHOUSE. 

